Waging War
by Onileo
Summary: Han Solo finds himself in a hairy situation after losing the Millenium Falcon in a game of poker. Set Pre-Episode IV. Rated for safety.


Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.

Waging War

It was about to be a really bad day.

Han Solo glanced at the other players at the table. All four of them looked tougher, uglier, and smellier than he was. His eyes moved from his hand of cards to the winnings in the pot at the center of the table. Right in the middle lay the papers declaring ownership of the single most important possession in his life, the Millennium Falcon. He never would have bet her if he hadn't been desperate. But the last shipment he had delivered was a bust, the merchants picking up the goods refusing to pay him. Then they tried to kill him to cover up any proof of the shady deal they had made. If it weren't for Chewy, he would be dead right now.

So here he was, broke, out of fuel, and he had just bet his ship against a hand of cards that wasn't worth a steaming pile of bantha fodder. He had to find a way out of this, and quick. There was no way he was spending the rest of his life on this hole of a planet, mopping a corridor somewhere, while listening to Lando lecture him on how badly he had wasted his life. Finally, an idea came to him. It was risky, and the chances of success were slim, but it was worth a shot. Taking in the room, he assessed his odds. This was one of the seedier cantinas on Mos Isley, half filled with the usual assortment of smugglers like himself, exiled aliens and habitual drunkards. The sort of people who settled disputes amongst themselves, only involving authority when it was absolutely necessary. Good. That was definitely a factor in his favor.

Picking out the smallest of the players at the table, a blue fellow with a mass of tentacles, Han stood quickly and slammed his hands on the table, gaining the attention of half the cantina. "Hey!" he yelled, pointing at the blue guy. "I saw that! Why don't you show everyone your real hand of cards, cheater!"

Spitting out a string of gurgles and clicks that only a protocol droid would understand, the accused stood, clearly agitated. Han glared at him an instant before drawing back and hitting the Dug sitting next to him as hard as he could. The table erupted in chaos, and Han made a dive for the middle before anyone could try to stop him. He snatched up the papers for his ship and as much money as he could grab and made a break for the door. Glancing back, he saw the Dug coming around, holding his head, and the blue guy being drug away from the table by two of the larger guys they were playing with. Suddenly, his progress was halted when he slammed into a massive furry chest.

Praying that it was his partner, he glanced up to discover that his bad luck was holding out. A very large, very angry looking Wookie stared down at him. Definitely not Chewy. Drawing back, the Wookie roared in his face an instant before hitting him in the chest and sending him flying backwards. Han crashed into a table and landed on his back. Suddenly, he was hauled up by the former occupants of said table. Struggling to break free, he was lifted into the air and sent flying once again. This time his destination was the bar. Sailing over the top, he crashed into the shelves of bottles and glasses, missing the bartender by mere inches.

Wobbly getting to his feet, he looked over at the bartender and gave him a lopsided grin. "Hey pal, you should watch where you stand. I almost slammed into you!" he said.

The burly bartender glared at him and grabbed him by the arm and the back of the neck. Roughly, he tossed Han back across the bar and into the crowd. By this time the whole bar was in one massive fight. Random people were being punched and thrown and more than one chair went sailing past his head. The noise was becoming incredible. Breaking glass and furniture, crashing tables and loud, angry shouts echoed off the walls. He had to get out of here. Now. It wouldn't be very long until security showed up to sort things out. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the front doors flew open, spilling the harsh light from the corridor into the dimly lit bar.

Two security guards stood in the doorway, flanked by droids. They each carried a plasma rifle. Pushing their way into the room, they began breaking up the brawlers. Keeping one eye on them, and the other on the door, Han skirted the room, making his way towards freedom. The room had nearly quieted down when he reached the entrance. Making a break for it, Han took off running. A shout sounded behind him and he glanced back to see one of the security guards commanding him to stop. Speeding up, he barreled down the corridor, the sound of booted and metallic feet close behind him.

A shot was fired just as he rounded the corner into another corridor. The blast sizzled and popped as it collided with a distant wall. Damn. These guys were serious. He had to lose them before he made it back to the ship. Otherwise he would never make it out of the dock before they locked the place down to prevent his escape. Pushing himself to go faster, Han zigzagged down the hallway, dodging shots as he turned into yet another corridor. His breathing became rapid and sweat broke out on his face as he ran. His back was killing him from the collision with the bar and table. At this rate, they would have him caught in no time.

As soon as his pursuit was out of sight, Han picked a random door and pressed the button to open it. Thankfully, it slid aside without protest. Jumping inside, the door closed behind him. Moments later, rapid footsteps passed by, and a muffled shout of confusion signaled his success. He had lost them. Catching his breath, Han wiped the sweat from his face and looked around the room. It seemed to be the living room of an apartment. He was relieved at his good fortune. He was safe for now. But he wasn't alone.

Sitting on the couch in the middle of the room were two women. One was human, the other a species he had never encountered before. The human was undeniably beautiful, with long brown hair that hung in ringlets past her shoulders. She was wearing a silver dress that split down the sides, showing off her curvy legs to perfection. Her companion was extremely tall and willowy, with gray, almost translucent skin and eyes that reminded him of a giant fly. She was also in a silver dress, and the gauzy material flowed around her form, reminding him of some sort of strange alien angel.

They stared at him, with frowns on both of their faces. Scratching the back of his head, Han grinned at them and winked. "Evening ladies. I was just in the neighborhood and was wondering if you girls wanted to join me for a drink sometime."

"Get out." the human girl commanded.

"Aww, come on. I was only asking."

Standing, the girl grabbed a vase that was sitting on the table beside her and tossed it at his head. He ducked and it crashed right where his head would have been. Bits of glass and plaster rained down on him, and he threw his arms over his head to keep from getting cut. Standing back up, he raised his hands in a placating gesture. The girl glared at him, hands on her hips. Her gray companion continued sitting where she was, watching their interaction curiously.

"Alright, alright. I'm leaving. But if you change your mind, I'll be in Hanger Seven." he said before heading back out the door. It closed just as a larger, heavier object collided with the door and landed with a dull thud. Breathing a sigh of relief, Han turned and came face to face with two very sweaty and angry security guards.

"Hi." he said with a grin.

"Han Solo, you are under arrest." the guard said as the droids came up behind Han and stopped, guns pointed at his back.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Han, what the hell were you thinking!" Lando shouted, slamming his hands down on his desk. "Do you realize how much damage you caused yesterday?"

"I know, but did you have to leave me in that damn holding cell all night? No offense, but the place reeked. And I don't even want to talk about what that guy you had me in there with was trying to pull." Han replied, leaning forward in his chair.

"Hmph, you're lucky I don't leave you in there for the rest of your life."

"What for? It was just a little barroom fight."

Lando glared at him. "It wasn't just a fight. The entire bar was wrecked. The owner has witnesses saying that you were the one that started it all. Who's going to pay for all that damage? And that apartment you broke into-"

"Wait a minute!" Han interrupted. "I didn't _break_ into anything. I just-"

"That apartment that you _entered without permission_" Lando continued forcefully "belongs to a princess from the next planet over. She is very powerful, with strong ties to the Hutts. I had to listen to her for three hours this morning. She wants your head over this little incident. I'm your friend, Han, but I can't risk crossing the Hutts. They'll ruin me. So, what am I going to do?"

"I don't know, _buddy_, what are you going to do?" Han asked.

Lando crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, I'm getting real tired of dragging your ass out of a mess every time you come here. If you weren't so good at what you do, I'd hang you out to dry. But I need your talent to keep my business going. So I'm going to make you a deal."

"What's that?"

"I'll say you gave me the slip. Clean up your mess, again. You get your ship refueled and you and your furry partner get the hell off my planet. I don't ever want to see you back here, even if the entire Federation is on your ass. Got that?"

Han stood and gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir!"

Lando grinned at his antics. The man didn't have a remorseful bone in his body. "Now get out of here before I change my mind. And be careful. I'm sure your new girlfriend will have bounty hunters after you as soon as she learns you are off-planet."

Han made his way to the door before turning and looking at his friend. "Don't worry about me. Like you said, I'm good at what I do."

Leaving Lando's office, Han made his way to the hanger. He purchased some fuel on Lando's credit and left orders for it to be put in the Falcon. Reaching his ship, he found Chewbacca in an agitated state. The Wookie had a wrench in one hand and grease stains in his fur. He glared at Han before starting in on him in his singsong language of whines and roars.

"Where was I? I spent the night in Lando's good hospitality." Han answered him.

Chewy crossed his arms and gave him a doubtful roar.

"Yeah, I did meet a girl, but it's not what you think. We need to leave as soon as possible. Is everything ready?"

Nodding, Chewbacca turned and made his way onto the ship. After the fuel was delivered, Han dropped into the captain's chair and started the engines. After a cough and sputter, they fired up. The clamps were released and everything was set for takeoff. Just then, Han saw a familiar figure cross the hanger in front of him. He grinned and looked at his partner. "I'll be right back. Keep the engines running, this won't take a minute."

Chewy shook his head and said nothing. Han made his way through the ship to the ramp. Lowering it down, he walked to the end just as the woman from the apartment walked by. She turned her head and looked at Han an instant before her calm face turned furious.

"Hey Sweetheart, I'll have to take a rain check on that drink. Maybe some other time, okay?" he shouted at her. She yelled something back, but it was drowned out by the engines. She pulled a pistol out of her belt and fired a shot at him. It bounced harmlessly off the hull of the ship.

"By the way, Honey, your aim sucks!" he yelled. By this time the brunette was practically jumping up and down in rage. With a smirk he turned and closed the ramp on the ship. Making his way back to the cockpit, he slumped in his seat and set a course out of the atmosphere. Chewbacca gave him a curious look and he shrugged. "Alright, partner, let's get the hell out of here." he said as the ship took off. Yeah, this was going to be a really good day.

The End


End file.
